In order to supply individual flat blanks to packaging machines in general, most known apparatuses take the flat blanks in individual sequence from the base of a vertical tank or store which is normally loaded manually or possibly automatically via a reserve channel which is horizontal or inclined downwards in the downstream direction in which the flat blanks are disposed in adjacent stacks in the first case (see for instance the U.S. Pat. No. 3,953,021) and stacked sideways in the second case (see U.S. Pat. No. 3,655,072).
In order to facilitate the take-up of the flat blanks in individual sequence from the vertical tank or store the opposite sides or flanks of the stack of flat blanks within the vertical tank or store are normally provided with separation means with alternately moving members (see for instance the U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,692,774 and 3,947,017) or members with a rotary movement of the rachet or successive-step type (see for instance U.S. Pat. No. 4,135,710) or which cause them to drop down within the store in small quantities as for instance in the case of the above-mentioned U.S. Pat. No. 3,655,072.
The GB Patent Specification 841 288 of Apr. 17, 1957 also discloses an apparatus or device for supplying flat blanks which are stacked sideways from a store with a high storage capacity which is inclined downwards in the downstream direction and whose base is provided with orbitally moving members intended to cause the flat blanks to advance with a jerky delaying movement to the store outlet where the lower portion of each blank is taken up in individual sequence by suction cup take-up means and folded outwardly in order to disengage it from an end retaining stop of the inclined store as a result, moreover, of the fact that in this specific case the zone for take-up by the suction cup is formed by one of the flaps for the production of the box which is defined by a fold line with the result that in this case as well the means designed to free the column from its own weight and simultaneously supply them in a separate arrangement to facilitate their individual extraction are of the dynamic type overall, i.e. of the operationally moving type.